Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina ended her five-month wait to reach another final with an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the last four of the Ningbo Open.
Rybakina sent down 10 aces but was forced to save seven break points in an 89-minute battle with the second-seeded Paolini in China.
“I knew the match would be very tough,” Rybakina said. “Jasmine has played really well this season. She’s a really tough opponent, and I knew I would need to bring my best. I’m happy I stayed focused until the end and won in straight sets.”
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After falling short in the semifinal stage of the Citi Open, Canadian Open and Cincinnati Masters in recent months, Rybakina will hope to add the Ningbo Open title to the WTA 500 event she won on clay in Strasbourg on May 24.
This win keeps Rybakina’s hopes alive of making the end-of-season WTA Finals, after Paolini missed out on the chance to seal her spot in the Turin tournament with a victory Saturday.
Ekaterina Alexandrova, who is ranked in the top 10 for the first time in her career, will face the third-seeded Rybakina in the final after defeated Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-4.
PA contributed to this report.
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